“Anything they want.”
“I think I know exactly what I want,” Mark replied, voice lowering an octave.
“Don’t get too cocky. I’ve been planning.”
“So have I.”
* * *
After a few hours of decorating,my side of the room was filled with pink balloons that spelled out BRIDE, a table full of wrapped presents, and a stack of games. I had hung up drapes of pink and white with sparkly ribbons everywhere and had banners that read BRIDE SQUAD. I also had little game tables, one of which held cards for a scavenger hunt. There was another poster with gold foil and pink edging that read KISS THE MISS GOODBYE with a selection of lipsticks beside it. I also had several high-end party favors, including gift bags provided by Ida the sex toy maven, which I had hidden in my rented hotel suite because they were most certainlynotpart of a classy bachelorette evening. My party looked well-thought-out and like it would be a lot of fun for the bridal party.
Meanwhile, on the boys’ side, Mark had a dart board hung on one wall, a table with beer and hard alcohol, and a sign that he had printed off his office printer that said “WES’S MAN DAY.” He also had a piñata shaped like Pikachu that he was filling with mini bottles of alcohol, cigars, and nice pens.
I looked at his side critically.
“I’m not done yet,” he said, taking out thepièce de résistance: a giant taxidermied deer’s head with a rack of antlers as long as his arms. He also had a stack of rings so the guys could play ring toss on it.
“It doesn’t look half bad,” Mark said, stepping back and admiring his handiwork.
“You don’t even have any party favors,” I retorted, shaking my head.
“They’re in the piñata, Brea.”
The hotel staff arrived with the food to set up. I had ordered a number of little snacks, cakes, and dips. The little bites were adorable and photogenic. Meanwhile, Mark had ordered manly foods like steak, lobster, fried shrimp, bone marrow, and thick-cut fries.
“At least no one on my side is going hungry,” he said. “I hope you ladies enjoy that cold vegetable tray.”
I hated to admit it, but that fried shrimp did look crispy and delicious.
“We have oysters,” I retorted. They were arranged prettily on glass trays with bright slices of lemon.
“I’m feeling extremely confident,” Mark said, popping a piece of shrimp into his mouth. “You might as well just give up.”
* * *
“Part of the game,”I told the guests when they arrived, “is that guys can’t cross into the girls’ area and vice versa.”
“What if I have to use the bathroom?” Kate asked.
“That’s what the empty beer bottles are for,” Carter joked.
“Uh, no.” I handed everyone a bag of tokens. “If you want to cross this line, you have to pay a fee. If you run out of tokens, you have to earn one back from the opposite team by performing a task of their choice.”
“I have to use the bathroom,” Liz blurted. The bathroom was on the guys’ side.
Wes smirked and held out a hand. Liz stuck her tongue out at him and gave him a token.
“First up,” I said to the bridesmaids when Liz returned, “we are playing kiss the groom.” I pointed to a picture of a shirtless Chris Evans taped to the wall. “You have to kiss the poster, and whoever comes closest to his mouth wins a prize. Ladies, choose your lipstick.”
The bride went first. Liz chose a bright-pink lipstick. We blindfolded her then spun her around, and she crab walked in a zigzag to the wall and pressed a kiss right on Chris’s chest.
Liz took off her mask. “Aw, I didn’t make it!”
Dana was up next. I looked over at the guys. They weren’t really playing any organized games, instead choosing to drink, eat, and watch the girls.
“You need to keep your eyes on your own paper,” I told Mark, who bit back a grin.
“Go to the right, Dana!” Wes yelled at his sister.
